Outgoing Corpus Christi mayor, City Council members share parting words at final meeting

CORPUS CHRISTI - There were tears, laughter and memories, but most of all Mayor Joe Adame and three outgoing City Council members — Chris Adler, Larry Elizondo and John Marez — shared a resolve for the next council to make Corpus Christi better.

"The only thing that is holding this community back is thinking big enough," Adame said, who opted not to run for a third term. "A few years ago Corpus Christi had an inferiority complex where it didn't think it deserved better ... We are on a roll, so there is no reason for us to think we are inferior or that nothing good is going to happen in this community."

The council had its final meeting Tuesday following results of the Nov. 6 election, which ushered in new leadership under Mayor-elect Nelda Martinez and three new council members. A swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected council and mayor is planned for next Tuesday.

There were many challenges the current council overcame, some of which were controversial and at times polarized the community, Elizondo said. He pointed to the decision to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in 2009, to build a wastewater treatment plant on the city's Northside in 2007, and to tear down the Memorial Coliseum.

Previous councils spent years discussing what to do with the coliseum, a convention center on the bayfront that closed in 2004 when the American Bank Center opened. In 2010, the council under Adame's leadership, voted to demolish it. The decision was met with staunch opposition from a group of preservationists and veterans who protested because the building was named in honor of those who fought in World War II and once was an architectural marvel that received international attention.

"I mean how many cuts and bruises did we get out of that conversation?" Elizondo asked. "But we moved the ball forward and have a plan — Destination Bayfront."

The city also weathered the Great Recession without seeing much of a downturn in the local economy, Elizondo said. He attributed it to the council's unwavering support for small businesses and sales tax incentives to lure business growth.

One of the best decisions the council made was to hire Ron Olson as city manager, several council members said. He began the job in May 2011 and has led a reorganization of City Hall that consolidated city departments and reshuffled top management. He also organized an internal review team, which led to a detailed report about a lack of oversight in the municipal court administration and later criminal charges against two employees for changing court records.

"He's been a lifesaver to our community," Adler said. "He's gotten us back on track."

Adler, who served two terms as the District 4 representative and had an unsuccessful bid for mayor this month, said she enjoyed serving her constituents. At times, it felt like she was representing three small cities, she said. Flour Bluff, Padre Island and neighborhoods along Ocean Drive are a part of District 4.

Outgoing District 2 Councilman Marez, who served eight years and termed out of office, said the city is headed in the right direction with a plan for street maintenance. A lot of progress was made during his time on council, he said, mentioning the redevelopment of Parkdale Plaza, La Palmera mall and the council's decision to give land to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi for its Momentum Campus off Nile Road.

"I think we did a lot of good for Corpus Christi," he said.

During a public comment period at the end of the meeting, council regular and community activist Abel Alonzo took to the podium to give his final thoughts on their service. Alonzo hasn't always agreed with the council's decisions and speaks at almost every meeting to let them know what he thinks. This time, instead of speaking, he cued a recording of the song "Did I Make a Difference?" by the Oak Ridge Boys.

When it was over, he said, "Mayor and council members, you don't have to wonder," he said. "You did make a difference."